Visitors to The Frick Pittsburgh in 2027 will encounter the work of a lauded illustrator, a shining collection of pearls and a world-class collection of abstract expressionist art.
The Point Breeze institution today announced the featured exhibitions planned for the Frick Art Museum in 2027: Soul, Sound & Voice: Watercolors by Jerry Pinkney, spotlighting the Pennsylvania-born watercolorist and lauded illustrator; Abstract Expressionists: The Women, an exhibition of the movement’s leading women, including works by Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Alma Thomas and many more; and Paradox of Pearls: Renaissance to the Gilded Age, an exploration of the role of pearls in fashion, commerce and art since the 16th century.
What’s Coming to The Frick Pittsburgh in 2027?
“I think these three projects that we’re presenting in 2027 are going to be phenomenal,” says Dawn Reid Brean, the Frick’s chief curator and director of collections. “We are listening to what our visitors are responding to, what they are enjoying, what they want to have more of.”
Abstract Expressionists, originally curated by Dr. Ellen G. Landau and organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, is a touring exhibition, currently on view at the Speed Museum in Louisville; it’ll make stops at the Grinnell College Museum of Art and the Mobile Museum of Art before making its way to the Frick. It’ll open on June 12, 2027.
“I have been looking for a project on abstract expressionist painting for a while,” Brean says. “This one, with its focus on women artists — we leapt at the chance,” especially in light of the exhibition’s “color and movement and gesture and large scale.”
Understanding Helen Clay Frick
“Helen Clay Frick wasn’t a fan of art after 1850 … she would probably dislike the AEs even more. But it’s endlessly fascinating to me” that Frick was building what is now the Frick Art Museum as abstract expressionism was taking hold around the world. “Two things can be true simultaneously. Two things can be happening at the same time. Putting Helen in context with these women artists will help us understand both chapters of art history in a different way.”
While Brean and her compatriots at the modern Frick are enthusiastic, the content of the exhibition would’ve come as a large shock to its founder — but in that, there’s an opportunity for nuance, Brean explains.
Earlier in the year, Soul, Sound & Voice will bring together nearly 100 of Jerry Pinkney’s watercolors, ranging from subtle watercolor paintings to illustrations from album covers and children’s books.
“He is a name that is really well-known in illustration,” Brean says, adding that “he is an incredible watercolorist. We’re thinking about this as an exhibition that is going to appeal to visitors of all ages.” Soul, Sound & Voice will open on Feburary 6, 2027.
Next year’s calendar concludes with Paradox of Pearls, scheduled to open on November 6. “In different places and different time periods, pearls have communicated such different ideas,” Brean says. “As a material culture specialist, I love the idea of objects and the power that they hold.”
Specific programming and events tied into each exhibition will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, the Frick’s popular French Moderns show will continue through October 11, showcasing works by Degas, Renoir, Matisse and more.
About the Author
Sean Collier is the editor-in-chief of Shady Ave and the arts and culture editor of TABLE Magazine. Before joining the TABLE Media team, he spent nearly 15 years as a writer, editor and columnist at Pittsburgh Magazine. As the in-house film critic for the top-rated WDVE Morning Show since 2009, he’s been Pittsburgh’s most widely heard voice on movies for nearly two decades. A Pittsburgh native, Sean has since 2020 appeared weekly on KDKA-TV’s popular Pittsburgh Today Live talk show. He’s the co-founder of Vigilance Theater Group and an active stand-up comedian and event host. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @seancollierpgh.
Story by Sean Collier
Featured Photo by Fraser Marr
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